Little Black Book

It devastated Laura Jean to wake up two days ago to discover her grandfather, Henry passed in his slumber, but knew it meant peace without being riddled with pain. They diagnosed him with late stage prostate cancer in August, and she took a year off from college to help take care of him.

When Laura Jean was eight, her mother passed after being on the heart transplant list for two years. Henry took her in without so much of a thought. Their rapport was exceptional before her mother’s passing, but simply increased tenfold afterward.

As she was going through her grandfather’s belongings, she ran across a little black notebook. Eager to discover what was inside, she opens it to notice every page filled and begins reading.

Hours and hours of heartfelt stories of her growing up, and remembrances that every day was a miracle in this life. Take nothing for granted. When she turned to the second to last page dated just a month ago, there was a memo from her grandfather with directions.

Take this card to First National Bank and speak with Frank. He will know what to do. Once you have met with him, there is another letter in the top drawer of my desk for you.

Love,

Henry

She glimpsed at the clock, seeing it was a quarter to four. The bank would still be accessible until six. Maybe he had a safety deposit box with some family mementos. Henry was always a sucker for old family scrapbooks and chests.

She clutched her keys and headed to the bank to examine what mysterious thing this bank would provide. On her way, she couldn’t help but brainstorm. Maybe it was some of her grandma’s antique jewelry, not that being old meant it was any less expensive. She had impeccable taste.

Pulling up and stepping inside, the cashier greeted her.

“Yes, I’m here to see Frank.” Laura Jean slipped the sheet from her grandfather’s journal under the glass.

The woman scanned the card and pursued after Frank, who was starting his way toward her.

“I’m so sorry to hear about Henry’s passing. Follow me.”

She expected to go into the safety deposit box room, but they continued to his desk instead.

“I’ll just need your signature on these papers before we provide sufficient access over to you.”

“What exactly am I getting access to?” She grasped the pen, demanding answers before signing anything.

He looked perplexed by her query. “Your grandfather opened up an account for you.” Instead of just telling her, he composed a number down and shifted the paper to her. “This is in the account.”

Her eyes spread wide. $20,000? Oddly enough, money was the last thing predicted. His medical bills were stacking up, and Laura Jean thought he was penniless. Where did he have that kind of cash?

She finished signing the paperwork and received the routing and account number before heading back to the home.

Henry always advised her to continue after her dreams and even encouraged her to attend NYU to go after her passion of creative writing. They had one of the finest writing programs in the country, and she always dreamed of interning at a publishing house.

When her acceptance letter appeared from NYU offering a full ride scholarship, her grandfather told her, “I knew it would happen.” He believed in Laura Jean, even when she doubted herself.

At 20 years old, she was more mature than most. Coming into that amount of money to an ordinary person her age meant going out and purchasing some fancy car, but not Laura Jean.

After considerable thought, she understood why he left her the fund. To provide her a means to achieve her dreams, and develop into the writer she’d always dreamed of, and with his support, even if he wasn’t here to cheer her on.

She traveled over to the desk and opened the top drawer to recover the other letter. A brief flash of hesitation hit her, since this would be the last message she ever read from her grandfather. It struck a nerve, not wishing to open it yet. Her eyes closed while drawing in a sharp sigh and opening the letter.

Dear Laura Jean,

If you’re holding this, then I must’ve passed. But don’t fret about me. I’m watching you from above with a smile on my face. You have matured into a caring, beautiful, intelligent young woman and I couldn’t be more proud.

Since you were a young girl, your dreams and ambitions never swayed. You wished to be a writer. Well, since I took you in, I’ve been saving up to aid you in achieving that dream. The money in the account is to help further your career. Go work for that publishing house this summer and show them you’re the next big thing to sign. I’ll be rooting for you from the skies.

Love Always,

Grandpa Henry

The tears were now rolling down her cheeks, with the note pressed against her heart. Laura Jean knew she would do whatever it took to make her grandfather proud.

The next day, she accepted the internship at Bruggeman Print, gathered her suitcases, and would head back to NYU. Laura Jean knew if she wanted to accomplish her dreams, she couldn’t do it from Texas. As the door sealed behind her, the memories of her grandfather locked securely inside, anticipating her return.